Post 9-11, post Iraqi invasion, post (we wish) the War on Terrorism, there is a great deal of interest in safety in the public domain, both in the political realm and among the general public. Individuals and society as a whole are increasingly concerned with protection and security for themselves and their material possessions. These newfound worries have repercussions for the layout, design, and management of public and semi-public places, imposing new demands on artists, designers, commissioners, and policy makers. "Open 6 examines the root causes of the public desire for safety. The authors consider theoretical and practical scenarios, proposals and visions from the realms of art, architecture, philosophy, and politics, in an attempt to lay bare something of the modern-day safety paradigm. Alternatively, the authors argue the need for new models. The contributors also provide insight into the current state of the modern-day practicalities of the aesthetics and ethics …

Taken separately, common and wealth suggest two opposite conditions: the shared and communal versus the private and restricted. Bringing together five celebrated international artists, Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, Thomas Hirschhorn, Carsten Hvller, and Gabriel Orozco, this book and the exhibition it accompanies explore the multiple implications of the two words that form its title. Artistic collaboration is the predominant theme, whether between artists creating works together or between artist and audience. The artists also examine what type of common ground the museum space, or architecture in general, might still offer in the face of general disillusionment with the concept of a public sphere. In addition to interviews with each artist, the catalogue contains essays by Jessica Morgan and Richard Sennett, as well as an interview with the renowned theorist Jean-Luc Nancy.